Brake complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Driver side front rotor outer surface has full metal to metal contact with zero brake pad material and had to be pried out. Driver side front rotor inner has uneven partial surface contact with rotor and is jammed in the carrier (unable to remove by hand, had to be hammered out of the carrier). Passenger side brake rotor outer has perfect surface but brake pad looked brand new... No wear on it and is jammed in the carrier. Passenger side brake rotor inner surface has partial contact with brake pad... Heavy thick rusty ridge formed and brake pad showed ridge impression on it. Customer said the brake was done by dealer two years ago. The main culprit is the brake pads are jammed in the carrier because the brake pad backing plate is too long to insert or to move freely. There is some kind of design flaw/specification problem. …
The transmission was leaking and recalled and that was fixed by GM. The brake lights sometimes over heat and I had to replace the saddles on them. I do not even know they go out but I have people honking at me that I have no lights in the rear. Now with my warranty out and have 86.000 miles on it the fuel pump is out on the vehicle at a 700 dollar cost. The door knob fell off, I have oil pressure issues all of the time. Last November the drive shaft fell off as I was driving down the road and had to pick it up off of the interstate which someone could have gotten hurt. Brake issues. When you spend 48,000 dollars on a vehicle it makes you sad that GM does nothing to help their customers. Maybe the government should not help them anymore. Today they wanted me to take it to GM and pay 200 dollars for a diagnosis. Just more money in their pocket. I want to another shop for advise. …
I was traveling on Saturday morning, in my dads 2004 Yukon luckily it was early enough not much traffic at the time, it was raining and I was not driving very fast normal speed on the highway is 40 miles per hour on us11 because of congestion and traffic lights, I was traveling between 30 and 35 MPH because of rain, anyways a light changed and I had time to stop, but the vehicle did not stop the pedal went almost to the floor and the light came on stating brake failure, from that point I slowed down as slow as I could and tried to test the brakes, it would stop, but needed plenty of distance, so I slowed for a turn off, and when I got home, started to brake before entering the driveway so that I would not hit the garage or anything else, in fact I stopped the vehicle at the end of the driveway near the road.
Driving when entire instrument panel went black. Off/on at random. Knocking sound started about the same time. Took car in to be checked out. Was told brake lines were completely rusted, and needed a new transmission. We paid for repair of the instrument panel. Talked to our dealership, holman in cincinnati oh, about breaks. No recall listed. They have never told us the brake lines were rusted. Offered us $150 brake kit to do ourselves (cant do) or they can do it for $1500-2000. Can't afford. It sits in our driveway, epic fail GMC. We bought a Honda.
Iwas driving at low speed went to stop at stop sign when brake peddle went to floor.I crashed into stop sign to stop . Truck was towed to dealer. I was told to major brake line burst. Truck is now at dealer being fixed. At a price of 2800.00. Something has to be done. This can't go on any longer.
While traveling to work my vehicles check engine light came on and the reduced power warning came on at which time I had complete loss of acceleration, complete loss of braking, and complete loss of steering power. I then had to coast to a stop and attempted to restart the vehicle 6 times before I was able to get the reduced power warning to go off and was able to drive although the check engine light stayed on. This is the 2nd time this has happened to me in 2 days with the loss of power. I have had the reduced power warning on numerous occasions years past but never have I lost total / absolute power to control the vehicle, this is a total death trap for anyone who has had this experience, especially on the freeway or highways at high speeds. I have read numerous accounts of this same issue affecting other GMC owners and have seen no resolutions or any recalls from GMC. …
This vehicle came with factory tow package. Brake lines, rear, were repaired a year ago. Towing a horse trailer with horse ( approx 6500 lbs total ), the front break line from the ABS module broke and pedal went to floor while exiting 90w onto 84w. Trailer brakes finally stopped the vehicle a few inches from the auto in front of us . This was on new years eve this year, and 2:00 pm in the afternoon. Found a garage/mechanic to repair the front line. This could have caused a major accident involving a number of cars and trucks. I have the vehicle inspected at every oil change, and have it repaired when needed. I have read of many issues with the (cheap ) brake lines GM has used in these vehicles( 1999 to 2003 ), and as they get older, they are just an accident waiting to happen. GM should recall these vehicles, and fix the problem with corroding break lines. …
When braking, the antilock brakes kick in no matter if needed or not. We have had several close calls on both city streets & highways. The car was already recalled and fixed for front wheel speed sensor corrosion, 05V379000, and the same thing is happening again. The sensor was not replaced, just cleaned and put back in. I don't understand how this fixed the problem when the corrosion can come back and did. It was just 30,000 miles later. We have taken it to a dealer and have called GM. We were told the recall is fixed and it will cost us $423.00 per side to fix plus tax. Please help and let us know what to do next.
Frequently asked questions
Which GMC Yukon XL 1500 years have brake problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2003 (17), 2001 (14), 2002 (14) and 2000 (9) model years. Brake complaints make up 27% of all complaints for the 2003.
Is there a recall for GMC Yukon XL 1500 brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for any GMC Yukon XL 1500 model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do GMC Yukon XL 1500 brake problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 112,000 miles; 13% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (2 mentions), followed by the antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › control unit/module (2).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.